Video summary

Arc is Dead. So I Tried the Next Best Thing

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Overview: “Replacement browser hunt” after Arc fades

The video is a “replacement browser hunt” after the creator says Arc (their favorite browser) effectively died. The company reportedly stopped real development about a year ago, leaving Arc usable but increasingly buggy. Because of those issues, the creator tries every major browser plus several niche alternatives.

Browser landscape (core rendering engines)

The speaker frames browsers as mostly different user interfaces built on three rendering foundations:

  • Chromium (e.g., Chrome, Edge, Brave, many others)
  • WebKit (Safari)
  • Gecko (Firefox)

Reviews / comparisons by browser

Brave (Chromium) — rejected

  • “Bloated”: criticized for browsing-unrelated features (AI assistant, crypto wallet, rewards currency, VPN upsell).
  • Privacy critique:
    • Branded as private, but the speaker argues Brave earns money via ads/affiliate-style revenue.
    • They cite an incident where Brave added affiliate code at the browser level for certain crypto exchange addresses (unfavorably compared to Honey).
  • Core experience: ad blocking is considered “good,” but not unique—something achievable with free extensions.
  • Verdict: not enough standout workflow; it largely feels like Chrome.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) — recommended for Windows

Praised Chromium features on Windows, including:

  • Proper vertical tabs
  • Split screen
  • Workspaces
  • Sleeping tabs
  • Profiles
  • Strong performance and a more “native” feel than other Chromium browsers on Windows

Main drawback:

  • Microsoft’s AI direction: the speaker claims features get removed to make room for AI additions.

Other notes:

  • Privacy: “pretty bad,” ranked close to Chrome, forcing a choice between trusting Google vs Microsoft.
  • Verdict: on Windows (and if you don’t prioritize privacy), Edge is a top pick among Chromium browsers.

Vivaldi (Chromium) — “power user,” highly customizable

Described as nearly OS-like, with features such as:

  • Vertical tabs, tab tiling/stacking, workspaces
  • “Command chains”
  • “Web panels”
  • Built-in tools: email client, calendar, notes, tasks, feed reader

Strength:

  • Deep customization—the speaker’s belief: if you can’t configure it, no browser can.

Downsides:

  • Bloated
  • Less snappy UI, many buttons and nested settings
  • Multiple ways to do the same thing can be overwhelming

Verdict:

  • Excellent, but too complex for the speaker.

“AI browser” category (and security concern)

The video mentions AI browser products such as Gamma/Perplexity, Arc-like tools, and OpenAI’s Atlas (which was discontinued).

Speaker’s take:

  • Arc-style AI is seen as better than simply adding a chatbot to Chrome:
    • Clean interface
    • Can use context from open tabs
    • Arc reportedly added features the speaker liked
  • But they generally don’t want AI inside their browser:
    • Workflow usefulness isn’t compelling for them
    • Security/privacy concerns about letting AI control browsing

Sponsorship: Gamma (AI design partner)

A sponsor integration is included:

  • Gamma is described as an AI tool for generating polished designs (presentations, infographics, diagrams).
  • Workflow:
    1. Describe what you want
    2. Gamma produces multiple versions quickly
    3. Refine afterward
  • Positioning:
    • Works alongside tools like ChatGPT or Claude
    • After ideation, Gamma generates the slide/design output rather than more text

WebKit (Safari) — best for Apple users, but misses Arc features

Safari (WebKit)

Strong points (Apple ecosystem):

  • Sync of tabs/bookmarks/profiles across devices
  • Handoff between iPhone and Mac
  • Passwords/passkeys via iCloud Keychain
  • iCloud+ features: Private Relay and Hide My Email
  • Feels like part of macOS; WebKit rendering applies even when using other iOS apps

Performance/minimalism:

  • Fast and more efficient on Mac than Chromium (gap is smaller than before, but still exists).
  • No/few AI features is framed as a pro.

Critiques vs Arc:

  • Tab switching: Arc uses an MRU-style shortcut (Control-Tab returns to the last-used tab, like macOS Command-Tab). Safari’s default shortcuts just move left/right.
  • Arc’s visual tab switcher is missing.
  • URL copy shortcut (Command Shift C) isn’t native; only via extension.
  • Lack of true vertical tabs: Safari’s vertical tab view still leaves the top toolbar, so you don’t get full vertical space.
  • Safari extensions are fewer than Chromium/Firefox.

Upcoming macOS improvements (claimed):

  • Auto-organize related tabs into topics
  • “Notify me” to monitor pages for changes (e.g., stock/price drops)
  • Write Safari extensions using natural language (speaker promises a follow-up video)

Gecko / Firefox-based alternatives

Zen Browser (Firefox-based)

Marketed as the closest “Arc-like” replacement:

  • Vertical tabs, pinned tabs, workspaces
  • Side-by-side tabs
  • Compact mode hiding browser chrome
  • “Glance” for link previews (compared to Arc’s Peek)
  • Customization via a built-in mods library

Downsides:

  • No DRM support → Netflix/Spotify protected content won’t play
  • Higher resource usage
  • Speaker avoids Firefox mainly due to occasional compatibility/performance gaps vs Chromium on some sites

Niche browsers saved for later

Orion (WebKit; native Mac app)

Claimed fixes vs Safari:

  • Proper vertical tabs
  • “Focus mode” hides browser UI
  • Visual tab switcher

Extension support (ambitious claim):

  • Can install extensions from Safari, Chrome, and Firefox even though Orion runs WebKit

Reality check:

  • Chrome/Firefox extension support is “hit or miss”
  • Small bugs and crashes reported, especially with multiple tabs

Business model:

  • User-funded, not ad-driven

Helium (Chromium; minimal + privacy-first “by default”)

Presented as “what people think Brave is”:

  • Minimal, clean, fast (no big ecosystem of extra features)
  • Blocks ads/trackers/third-party cookies by default
  • No browser ads, no crypto wallet/VPN upsell/AI assistant
  • Open source, no personal data collection, user-funded (privacy claim tied to business model)

Arc-like workflow features:

  • Proper vertical tabs
  • “Frameless mode” hiding UI
  • Split view
  • Lots of keyboard shortcuts
  • Built-in MRU tab switching (Control-Tab returns to the most recently used tab)
  • Bangs in the address/search bar (e.g., !, plus examples like exclamation.g for Google and gm for Google Maps), with 13,000+ plus user-created bangs

Catch/limitations:

  • Still beta (some bugs)
  • No mobile version or browser sync (tabs/bookmarks/settings don’t follow across devices)
  • No DRM support (Netflix/Spotify won’t work)
  • Small-team longevity risk

Meta-analysis: why niche browsers often die

The speaker argues small browser projects are fragile because browsers require:

  • continuous security updates
  • compatibility fixes
  • extension ecosystem support
  • heavy infrastructure
  • a sustainable business model despite competing with free browser distribution

Cited examples:

  • Sigma OS now basically dead
  • Sidekick shut down after the team shifted to another product
  • Arc moved on elsewhere
  • OpenAI Atlas launched and was discontinued already (stopped working as of a specific date)

Final recommendations (personal choice vs “for most people”)

Their personal winner for workflow: Helium

Reasons:

  • Chromium compatibility
  • Vertical tabs with full vertical space concept
  • MRU tab switching
  • Bangs
  • Minimal, snappy interface with fewer “extra crap” features

Tradeoffs the speaker accepts:

  • They don’t use Netflix/Spotify in-browser (so no DRM is fine)
  • Lack of sync and mobile isn’t a dealbreaker for their setup (their iPhone uses Safari)
  • They miss:
    • a visual tab control switcher
    • a command palette-like feature for tab/action search

Overall guidance

  • Most Apple users → Safari (fast, reliable, full sync)
  • Non-Apple users → Edge on Windows if you don’t care about privacy
  • Arc-like replacement for power users on Firefox → Zen
  • Helium as their own choice, but with caution due to beta + small-team longevity risk

Main speakers / sources

  • Main speaker: the video narrator/reviewer (creator of the Arc replacement series; no specific name provided in the subtitles)
  • Referenced products/companies: Arc (discontinued active development), Brave, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Perplexity (Gamma), OpenAI (Atlas), Gamma (sponsor), Safari (Apple), Zen (Firefox-based), Orion (WebKit native Mac), Helium (open-source/user-funded)

Original video